SELECTION AND PROGRAMME 2025-26
YLP 2025-26
Do you have what it takes to be a Young Leader?
Are you passionate about solving your community and societal problems?
Are you ready to challenge yourself intellectually, physically and morally?
Our Moon is happy to announce the launch of our applications for our 2025-26 Young Leaders Programme. We are inviting recent Grade 12 leavers (who completed high school either in 2024 or 2023) who have 6-8 points in your best six subjects, come from financially-disadvantaged households (your families would be unable to afford for you to go to university without substantial support), and want to make a difference in society.
We are looking for students with a wide range of academic interests. Mostly, we want students who yearn to learn, have an open mind, have the potential to lead, are good team players, and are passionate about making a difference in the world.
If this sounds like you, then please continue reading...
ABOUT OUR PROGRAMME
Our Moon’s Young Leaders Programme is a university and life preparation course. It is an intensive, fulltime programme lasting approximately 18 months. It combines a challenging academic programme with community service, learning how to look after your physical, mental and spiritual health and internships.
All attendees have gone on to universities around the world to study a wide variety of subjects. They all have a sincere desire to give back to their communities, and are actively involved in projects, work or studies that further this goal.
On our programme, you will:
Learn how to lead through participation in community service projects
Develop team work skills
Learn basic and more advanced IT skills
Discover yourself through our Identity and Expression course
Research your academic passions and write a 4000-word essay on a global issue seen through a Zambian lens
Develop your critical reading and writing skills
Improve your English grammar and punctuation
Prepare for SATs and Duolingo English Test
Apply to universities and for scholarships
Gain employability skills through projects, internships or entrepreneurship opportunities
Learn how to look after your physical, mental and spiritual health.
Take part in community service.
What are the criteria to becoming a Young Leader?
6-8 points in best six subjects
From a low-income home
Commitment to community service
Ability to follow and comply with instructions
Demonstrate potential to lead
Enthusiasm!
All applicants are expected to have achieved a high academic standard and must have completed high school in Zambia. We would typically expect students to have gained between 6-8 points from six, out of eight subjects in their Grade 12 ECZ exams. There is a little leeway for a student with a very strong application in other areas.
We expect all students to be from low-income families who cannot afford our programme, or to go to university within Zambia, without full financial support. We strongly attempt to run an ethical programme; therefore, any student found to be lying about their financial situation will be immediately dismissed.
All accepted students will be expected to withdraw from any other university preparation programmes and make themselves available for full time study whether at home or in Chibombo. All accepted students will be expected to attend all bootcamps.
If a student narrowly fails to get onto our programme, we may offer them the chance to participate in our SuperSpace projects and take part in community service. This will include helping them develop their identity, the way they express themselves and communicate both in writing and orally, and help you set goals for your future.
When participating at Our Moon's residential site in Chibombo, Our Moon will provide tuition fees, food, accommodation, internet and learning materials. We have a house parent who looks after the safety of the students and night watch people who patrol our grounds at night. When studying from home, Our Moon will provide data to ensure you can get online. Once we know where our students are located, we will organise either learning groups if there are groups of students or spaces in internet cafes for short periods of time.
Meet Mercy and her mum
Please watch these videos from Mercy, one of our second year students, and her mum who tell you why they love Our Moon!
SELECTION FOR YLP
The selection for the Young Leaders programme ( YLP) comprises four parts:
PART 2: FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND ESSAY
We need to understand your family's financial situation so have asked you to produce, with the help of your parents/guardian, your household income and expenses for one month. In addition, there is a longer essay. Make sure to write everything in your best English. It is a great idea to write a draft first and ask someone to proofread it before you paste it into the application form. It has a word minimum and maximum word count, so you should plan and structure your essay accordingly.
DEADLINE FOR PART 2 IS 11 FEBRUARY AT 23:59 CAT
PART 1: REGISTRATION OF INTEREST
Follow the instructions on the form. We need the information from you exactly as we have asked for it. There is a short essay to write about why you have chosen to apply to Our Moon. Please make sure you look at our website to find out as much as you can about our programme. At the end, we ask you to sign a declaration. Please ensure you understand what you are signing for. It is very important that all the information contained in the form is true. If you Then you should ask one of your parents or guardians to sign that they agree to you making an application. You can upload a photograph of their signature or thumb print.
DEADLINE FOR PART 1 IS THURSDAY 6 FEBRUARY AT 23:59 CAT
You will be guided through a community service project and asked for your reflections.
DEADLINE FOR PART 3 IS 28 FEBRUARY at 23:59 CAT
PART 3: COMMUNITY SERVICE
PART 4: FINAL SELECTION BOOTCAMP
32 shortlisted applicants will be invited to four day bootcamps at Our Moon's site in Chibombo for interviews, to try out the programme and for us to be able to assess your suitability for our Young Leaders Programme.
PART 4 WILL TAKE PLACE BETWEEN 3 & 12 MARCH
YLP 2025-26 WILL START AROUND 20 MARCH IN CHIBOMBO
TIMETABLE FOR 2025-2026
24 January 2024 - Applications open. There are online parts to the application
28 February 2024 - Applications close
Early March - Selection bootcamps of 32 shortlisted applicants. We will hold one for male and one for female applications to ensure we have a gender balance
Mid March – YLP 2025-26 students selected
Around 20 March - YLP starts with all selected students coming to Chibombo. Orientation will begin with students learning IT skills, intensive writing and reading skills, starting the Identity and Expression programme and being introduced to the research essays. Students will also be introduced to fitness, community service, cooking and invited to apply for Our Moon community roles.
May - Continued studying, introducing SATs and community projects
June and July - Projects at home and research for research essays
End July - Return to Chibombo for second year student graduation, community project work, writing research essays,
October - SATs, completion of research essay and continuation with courses from home
Early December - Return home to complete university applications and return to community project
Christmas and New Year's - Break while still progressing university application.
FIRST YEAR
SECOND YEAR
January/February - May - Internships and/or projects and/or entrepreneurship opportunities, while progressing university applications and continuing online learning
April 1 - Most university decisions are out
June/July - At home preparing for university
July - Graduation in Chibombo and becoming an Our Moon Alum!
August - Depart university*
* University offers are not guaranteed.
Interest Registration
PLEASE START THE APPLICATION PROCESS BY REGISTERING YOUR INTEREST USING THE FORM BELOW BY THURSDAY 6TH FEBRUARY AT 23:59
If you have any questions, Martin and Mercy will answer your questions and post the answers in the Frequently Answered Questions forum. Go to Forum
Good luck!
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